


Home & Hearth

by misskatieleigh



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Family Feels, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 15:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13192905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misskatieleigh/pseuds/misskatieleigh
Summary: The boy was shaking. That was the only thing Bodhi saw at first, tucked into the corner of one of the empty market stalls. A boy with trembling arms, fingers shoved into his armpits to warm them. He looked thin, but not malnourished, cheekbones standing out on a face that was beginning to lose the softness of youth. Even shaking, his arms showed a wiry strength, as if he'd been trained. Where did the boy come from? And why was he out in the cold?





	Home & Hearth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bright_Elen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bright_Elen/gifts).



> Bright_Elen guessed all my fic from the rarepair exchange, so this is the fic she requested. The beginning was posted to Tumblr, but has been modified to flow with the rest of the story. 
> 
> I hope this gives you the family feels you were looking for, my friend!
> 
> Also fits some themes for the Sniperpilot Winter Event, so I'm adding it to that collection.

The boy was shaking. That was the only thing Bodhi saw at first, tucked into the corner of one of the empty market stalls. A boy with trembling arms, fingers shoved into his armpits to warm them. He looked thin, but not malnourished, cheekbones standing out on a face that was beginning to lose the softness of youth. Even shaking, his arms showed a wiry strength, as if he'd been trained. Where did the boy come from? And why was he out in the cold? The market would have closed hours ago. 

Normally, Bodhi would have been well home by now, but Davrak had been having trouble with his heating unit and Bodhi had gone by to see if he could tinker with it until it worked. He wasn’t sure if it was a conscious decision, that he and Cassian chose a cold planet to settle down on, but it had seemed a good fit at the time. Besides, after Hoth, most everything felt warm.

Except to this boy, apparently, who was wearing little more than a thin shirt and some sort of stretchy pants, made more for wearing underneath another layer than on their own. He seemed to have no intention of finding a better, or warmer, place to sleep. There was supper waiting for Bodhi, home and hearth and Cassian's warm smile, but he couldn’t walk away. He knew what a little kindness could mean on a cold night. 

“Are you alright?” he called out, walking closer with measured steps. “Have you lost your parents? Maybe I can help you find them.”

The boy looked up. Bodhi felt his heart clench in reaction to the look on the boy's face. It was like staring into a mirror of his past self, fear and determination mixing in the boy's eyes as he searched Bodhi’s face to see if he could be trusted. “I don't have parents,” the boy said, as if it was that simple, as if they were there one moment and erased the next. A shiver worked its way down Bodhi's spine, and it had nothing to do with the weather. 

“When's the last time you ate? It’s not safe to be out in this weather.” Bodhi tried to stay calm. A nagging feeling was building up in his stomach, one that he very much wanted to ignore. 

“I'm not sure. Maybe two days?” His teeth were chattering then, and Bodhi pulled his outer cloak off on instinct, swinging it around the boy's shoulders before he even realized what he was doing. 

Two days before, an unmarked ship had docked briefly at the nearest spaceport. He only knew that it had been there because Kay insisted on monitoring communication frequencies around the port. He claimed that it was for his own peace of mind, but Bodhi knew better. It was difficult to stop being a spy.

Only a short speeder trip away, the port was still a good day’s walk from their small town. For a boy wearing the wrong clothes and the wrong shoes it might take two days. Especially if he hadn't traveled a straight path, not knowing where he was heading. 

“Were you on the ship that landed? It’s left, but I could try to get in touch with it again.” Nothing the boy could say would speak louder than the immediate stiffness to his arms; even his shaking stopped with how still he went. As if he could disappear if only he never moved.

“If you're in trouble, I could help. At least come and get warm, we can sort the rest in the morning. ” Bodhi held out his hand. “I just want you to be safe. Please.” Without his outer cloak, the wind had started to work it's way beneath his clothes. He could only imagine how cold the boy was. He didn't want to think about how much longer he would have survived. 

“Please don't send me back,” he whispered, almost too quiet for Bodhi to hear. Then, a miracle. He put his hand - small and so cold - into Bodhi's hand, and stepped out into the light. Bodhi's heart stopped. There, in black ink, rattled across the boy's wrist. FN-2187. 

He was supposed to be retired, he'd given enough to the galaxy to feel he deserved a simple life, him and Cassian, a garden and a home. But the Force had moved and he couldn't walk away, not from a boy with a stormtrooper designation etched into his skin. 

He gripped the boy's hand in his own, his mind spinning out a list of everyone he needed to contact. “I promise, you will never have to go back. Do you understand? I promise.”

The boy dove toward him, shaking arms wrapped around his waist in a fierce hug. “I knew I would find you one day.”

Bodhi wasn’t sure what that meant, but he set it aside, comming Cassian and telling him to set an extra place for supper.

Evil didn't ever rest.

***

“What if he doesn't like me?” The boy had stopped shaking finally, Bodhi's cloak dwarfing his frame and dragging in the snow as they walked.

“Why wouldn't he like you? I like you, and I'm a very good judge of character, I'll have you know.” Bodhi tried to keep his voice light, even as his mind was racing with worry about the boy and the implications of the ink on his wrist. 

The boy shrugged, barely visible in the light from Bodhi's lantern. Bodhi frowned, thought for a moment, and tried another tactic. “He likes Poe, so I'm sure he'll like you. Maybe the two of you would get along. He's a bit older than you, but we've known him since he was born. He lives with his father, on a moon called Yavin.”

“Yavin, like the Battle of Yavin?” 

Bodhi nodded. “That's right. There's no base there anymore, but they've built a settlement, and the temple is still there. I was only there for couple days before the Death Star came and we all had to evacuate.”

The boy stopped in his tracks, looking up at Bodhi in awe. “You were in the battle against the Death Star?” 

Bodhi bit his lip to keep back the grin that threatened to spill over his face. “I was in the medical center for the battle, I was pretty hurt from being on Scarif before that.”

“You're him, aren't you?” the boy asked, voice wavering. 

“I don't -”

“You're the defector...the - the traitor!” 

This time Bodhi stopped short, looking down to meet the boy's solemn eyes. A tremor ran through him, a wash of memories clamoring to drag him into the past. 

“Some people called me that,” he said, his voice quiet, “I did what I knew was right. I delivered a message.”

The boy stepped closer, reaching toward Bodhi. “You were a hero.”

“Just a man still.”

The boy took his hand. “A good man, though.”

Bodhi smiled. “That's all we can hope to be, at the end of the day. Can we go home now?”

Echoing Bodhi's smile with a more tentative one, the boy nodded. He straightened his shoulders, looking more like a soldier than a child for a moment. “Let's go.”

***

Kaytoo looked up as the door cracked open. Bodhi was three hours and twenty-seven minutes overdue, although he had commed to inform them that he would be late. That was the only reason that Kay hadn't gone after him, along with the look Cassian had leveled at him when he'd made a remark about ‘retrieving dawdlers’. 

Bodhi came through the door, stomping snow off of his boots. His cloak came in behind him, wrapped around a shorter organic that spent most of their energy staying in Bodhi's orbit as he worked to remove his outerwear. It was very inefficient, but Kay kept his evaluation to himself. Small sentients were skittish, and he didn't feel like sparing the processing power on the argument that would follow if he made them cry. 

Eventually Bodhi managed to extract his cloak from the creature, revealing a dark skinned juvenile human, somewhere between nine and thirteen years of age, depending on nutritional standards and genetic factors. He could not determine gender without asking questions. Humans were strange about that. Kaytoo turned on his optics, slowly standing up from where he’d been sitting in the front room. 

“Greetings Bodhi. You're late. Hello small person. I am K-2SO, what is your designation?”

Bodhi stepped over, putting his hands on the child’s shoulders in a gesture of comfort. “That's just Kay. He's friendly...mostly.”

The child pulled up their sleeve, holding their wrist up for Kay to see. “FN-2187,” the droid read out. His optics raised up, taking in Bodhi's tense face. He looked back down, then touched the dark ink with one metal fingertip. 

“When I was first made, I was created to be an enforcement droid for the Empire. Then, I met Cassian, who showed me that I could have my own wants, create my own directives.” The child looked up at him, their eyes wide, but somehow unafraid. Kay continued, “I was K-2SO, but I am also Kaytoo or Kay, if you prefer. You were called FN-2187, but you can choose to be more. Cassian will show you how.”

Bodhi reached out, resting his hand on Kay's elbow joint for a moment. Behind him, Cassian made a soft, almost pained noise. Kay filed it away in his memory banks to categorize later. He turned toward his friend. “This is Cassian. Cassian, Bodhi brought someone new home.”

“I see that. I hope you're being civil, for once.”

Kay let out a soft buzz of static in Cassian's direction. He could be civil, when he wanted to. Cassian stepped further into the room, limping slightly. The cold weather made his artificial joints stiffer than normal. Kaytoo made a mental note to research hardier materials for the next time they were near a New Republic medical facility. The child stepped back, putting Kay between themself and Cassian. That was an unusual reaction, to say the least. 

Bodhi crossed the room, greeting Cassian by tucking his hair behind his ear on one side and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. In Kay’s databanks that greeting was related to several scenarios, most of which revolved around Bodhi being tired and glad to be home. The thought pleased Kay, because Cassian's reaction to Bodhi's return resulted in a forty-three percent increase of happiness for Cassian. He did not have enough data to extrapolate Cassian's reaction to the child. 

Kay looked down at FN-2187. “You do not need to be afraid of Cassian. He will not harm you, or put you in harm's way, if it can be avoided.” 

“What if he doesn't like me?”

Kay tilted his head to one side, approximating the action of thinking. “How will you find out, if you stay here with me?”

Over the years, Kay had become very familiar with the act of ‘putting on a brave face’, mostly by rebels that thought they were going to their deaths. The child squared their shoulders, standing up to their full height, which was far from impressive. They nodded once at Kay, then walked over to Cassian and held out their hand. 

“Hello.” 

Cassian gripped the child's hand gently, swallowing heavily before speaking in a slightly choked voice. “Nice to meet you. I'm so glad that Bodhi found you, it's very cold outside.”

Glancing down at their clasped hands, the ink on their wrist peeking out from under their sleeve, the child bit their lip nervously. “I - I don't want to be FN-2187. Will you help me find a new name?”

Cassian straightened up to his full height, a flash of emotion crossing his face. He was becoming less of a spy, the further removed they were from the war, although Kay knew Cassian would never truly let that part of himself go. “It would be an honor. Maybe we can _all_ figure that out. Together.”

The child relaxed, incrementally. “I think I'd like that.”

***

***

Finn rolled off the bed at the sound of the front door creaking open, stopping at his own doorway to peak out into the hall. He could hear Abbu talking in a low voice, most likely assuming that he was asleep. Papá was supposed to be home today, back from speaking with the Senate about the men that had held him captive. Finn had begged to go with him, sure that they would want to hear from him first hand about the other children that hadn’t managed to escape. Then he’d looked up into Papá’s eyes, the pain etched there like a knife to his heart. 

“Please, mijo, let me carry this burden for you. I just want to know that you’re safe.”

He couldn’t argue against that, wanting more than anything to make Papá smile again. Finn wrapped his arms around Papá’s waist, pressing his cheek against the steady beat of Papá’s heart. 

“Alright,” he said. “Will you take Kaytoo with you, to keep you safe as well?”

Papá had smiled, although the sadness lingered on his face. “I will. Maybe I’ll even keep him out of trouble this time.”

Abbu had rolled his eyes, and the discussion had been over. 

Now it was time for him to be home. 

Finn opened his door a little wider, slowly and steadily so it wouldn’t creak. Abbu wasn’t talking anymore, but if it was Papá that wasn’t surprising. He pretended to be grossed out when they kissed, but deep down it made him happy. No one touched anyone else, with the First Order, not unless it was for discipline. It had always felt like there was something missing there, but he didn’t understand how to explain what it was. 

The first thing Abbu had done, when they had found each other, was to take off his cloak and wrap it around Finn’s shoulders. Then he had held out his hand. That was how Finn knew he had done the right thing. Found the right people.

Finn leaned out into the hallway. He could see the shape of two people, one leaned back against the wall and the other pressing forward against them, their heads dipped close together. It had to be Papá, no one else ever held Abbu so tightly. 

Finn took one tentative step forward, stopping suddenly when he felt the press of solid metal against his shoulder. Kaytoo spoke more quietly than he had ever heard before. “You are supposed to be asleep.” He paused, waiting for Finn to turn and look at him before continuing. “Give them another moment, then I will make sure that he comes to say goodnight to you.” 

Finn looked up, into Kay’s unwavering optics. He ran his hand over Kay’s chest plate, a gesture he had adopted once he realized that the droid was too tall and hard to hug, then slipped back into his room and sat on the bed. 

He was almost asleep again by the time Papá appeared in the doorway, the light from the kitchen filtering down the hall to show a drawn face before he stepped forward into the darkness. 

“You should be asleep already, mijito.” 

“I wanted to see you when you came home,” Finn said, reaching out his hand. Papá came further into the room, taking Finn’s hand and squeezing his fingers gently. Finn shifted back and Papá sat on the edge of the bed, threading their fingers together and staring down at their mismatched knuckles.

“What's wrong?” Finn asked. Papá was always quiet, but the silence now was too much, more so because he was holding himself so very still. 

“Nothing you need to worry about,” he said, pulling the corner of his mouth up into the shape of a smile as he looked over at Finn. 

“You don't have to protect me, Papá,” Finn whispered, sitting up in the bed. He leaned up against Papá’s shoulder, inhaling the warm, familiar scent of him layered over with the dusty smell of travel.

The sound Papá made was caught between a laugh and a sob. “Oh, Finn! That's exactly what I have to do.” He leaned down and kissed the top of Finn's head. “And I'll do it gladly, every time. For you and Abbu, and even Kaytoo, if I need to.”

Finn held Papá tighter. “We're here to protect you too. Because we're a team, right?”

“That's exactly right. Now, it's time for you to get some rest and we'll talk in the morning, okay?” Papá hugged him one last time, then let go of his hand and stood up from the bed. 

Finn could see Abbu leaning up against the door frame as he laid back down, and he watched them gravitate toward each other as he closed his eyes. Whatever was wrong, they'd face it together, he was sure of that.

***

“Your son is a menace.” Kaytoo pushed open the door of the house just as a snowball crashed into the back of his head. Heavy, wet snow slid down onto his chassis and then to the floor, and the sound of laughter filtered into the front room along with the chill of cold air. 

Looking up from his position over the stove, Cassian put the lid back on the pot of soup and regarded Kaytoo with a barely concealed grin. “Shouldn't you be able to calculate the trajectory well enough to avoid getting hit? Maybe we should run some diagnostics, if a thirteen year old can fool you.”

Kaytoo stiffened and raised up to his full height, mere inches from the ceiling. His indignation was offset by Finn skirting around his legs, leaving a trail of snowy footprints and detritus of snow gear in his wake: hat, mittens, one boot and then the other. Cassian started to open his mouth to argue about the still open front door when Finn collided with his chest, dark skin tinged pink along his cheeks. 

“Papá! Abbu is coming to get you!”

Bodhi burst through the door, snow caught in his beard and his hair, and Cassian's heart clenched in his chest at the sight. He still had days when he felt undeserving of this life, Bodhi's constant love and the unexpected gift of Finn’s joy. But, as Kaytoo unfailingly reminded him, he had given up most of his youth to the Rebellion and happiness should be claimed at any opportunity. Someday he'd find out who uploaded philosophy into Kaytoo’s databanks, but by now it was just another added quirk to his already unlikely life. 

Panting slightly, Bodhi grinned, brandishing a snowball and stalking forward. “Treachery! You warned him, didn't you!” 

Finn let out a laugh, a hint of deepening tone creeping in at the edges. Another reminder that Finn was growing older, growing stronger with every day that he was away from the First Order and their cruelty. Then he lifted the back of Cassian’s shirt and shoved his cold hands in, and Cassian stopped thinking about anything except getting away. 

“Son of a -” Cassian stopped himself, shifting to cursing in Festian before Bodhi could jump in with a recriminating word. "¡Dios mío, qué chingadas frías!" 

Never one to let an opportunity pass by, Kay piped up instead. “I believe that qualifies as inappropriate language in front of a juvenile among organics,” Kaytoo said, as droll as ever. Cassian shot a glare in the droid’s direction, wincing as his knee twinged in response to his impromptu dance across the room. Bodhi was at his side in a moment, slipping his shoulder under Cassian’s arm to support his weight. They hobbled over to the small couch in the front room so Cassian could sit. Bodhi moved to pull away, but Cassian wrapped his arms around Bodhi’s waist under his jacket, pulling him forward until he was straddling Cassian’s legs. Letting out a breathless laugh, Bodhi leaned forward and tucked his cold face into the crook of Cassian’s neck. “You’ve caught me. Now what are you going to do with me?”

Cassian tugged Bodhi closer, pressing a kiss against his temple and holding him close. “Nothing right now, we have too much of an audience.” He smiled at the image of Finn, meticulously wiping the moisture away from Kaytoo’s frame while the droid made a series of disgruntled noises. “Later, though...later I’ll have my revenge.”

He could feel Bodhi’s smile against his neck, shivering as Bodhi breathed out warmly and kissed his way up to Cassian’s ear. “Promises, promises.”

Cassian turned and captured Bodhi’s lips in a heated kiss, the shape and taste of Bodhi’s mouth familiar, but still thrilling, even after years of being together. They broke apart when the sound of Finn pretending to gag became too much to ignore. 

“Help me up, before dinner burns,” he said, hands cradling Bodhi's face. Bodhi shook his head, scratching the roughness of his beard over Cassian's palm. “I think I can manage to stir things, you just stay here.”

Bodhi climbed out of his lap with an exasperated sigh as he extracted himself from Cassian's hands. Leaning back against the couch, Cassian watched Bodhi cross to the stove, stirring the soup and then gathering all of the discarded hats and gloves to dry on the heating unit under the front window. Kaytoo trudged into the room, finally freed from Finn’s well-meant drying attempts. He felt heavy, with the weight of responsibility, all these lives connected to him by invisible lines. He felt light, lifted up by the sound of laughter, the way his own mouth formed a smile more easily than a frown. 

He felt whole, though tired and aching from a life of purpose. His friend across the room. His love to hold him close. His son learning and growing. A life that any man could be proud of.

 

**Author's Note:**

> A HUGE thank you to [SassySnowperson](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticEntrance/pseuds/SassySnowperson) for beta-ing this into shape on the fly. You are a gift my friend!


End file.
